New art at Pike Place Market!

Posted July 7, 2017

The MarketFront expansion is more of the Market you love – with new space for vendors, farmers and craftspeople, incredible views from the public plaza, 40 additional low-income housing units, and a new neighborhood center. And of course, no part of the Market would be complete without art. Two incredible artists have made their mark on the MarketFront.

Clare Dohna and her helpers, working hard on the MarketFront!

Clare Dohna, pictured above in black, has spent the last three years hand painting nearly 4,000 tiles for her art installation: “Northwest Microcosm” – a three part mural that surrounds the Grand Staircase, climbing from the lower level of the MarketFront up to the plaza and Pavilion. The mural at the top of the stairs showcases the fruits and vegetables of the Market. On the second level: the beautiful flowers and wildlife of our region. And swimming beneath the grain silos and along the breezeway that will soon lead people out to Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, is a magical underwater world of mosaic fish. Look closely at the fish, as many of them are delicately inscribed with the names of our biggest supporters.

The Fish Wall – one of the three walls that make up “Northwest Microcosm” by Clare Dohna.

Each wall glints with brightly colored ceramic tiles, delighting the eye from a distance, and upon drawing closer you find endless engagement with all the personal touches and secret surprises in each piece. Clare and her installation team wrapped up work at the end of May, leaving “Northwest Microcosm” for all of us to enjoy. To see more photos of the finished product and the process click here.

Shortly after Clare finished “Northwest Microcosm” John Flemming started the installation of “Western Tapestry”, a community art collaboration which adorns the walls underneath the Desimone Bridge along Western Avenue. “Western Tapestry” weaves together over 1,600 metal strips, hand painted by the Market community in the summer of 2016. It took John Fleming just a couple of short weeks to hang all of the metal strips and light them from the back with LED lights. The art was ready for viewing by Grand Opening on June 29th and a group of the community painters gathered underneath it to celebrate its completion! To see more photos of John’s art and the community process click here.

John Fleming announcing the completion of his piece, “Western Tapestry” at the Grand Opening of the MarketFront!

Our excited community painters celebrating the finished piece of art!

If you are excited about seeing the new public art at Pike Place Market then make sure you head down to the Market Front! The Fish Wall is a great spot for selfies and “Western Tapestry” has completely changed the feel of Western Avenue. Plus you can visit Billie the Piggybank at her new home on the plaza and witness the Market Charms dancing in the breeze! If you have questions about Market Charms or Billie’s Bronze Hoofprints visit PikeUp.org for more information.